In Their Words: Otisville barber takes you back

Sunday

When you step into Henry's Olde Time Family Barbershop in Otisville, you go back in time.

When you step into Henry's Olde Time Family Barbershop in Otisville, you go back in time.

The barber, Henry Crawford, is a collector of old things and his shop is like a little museum.

Sit down for a spell and take a load off while Henry tells you about his place.

I'm a third-generation barber. My grandfather was a barber and his three sons were barbers, too. One of those brothers was my father and he cut hair his entire life. He died in his barbershop in 2002.

As for me, barbering became a profession very recently. I grew up in the Town of Florida and attended high school there. I didn't particularly like school and my father, Henry Sr., told me, "If you don't like school, you better learn a trade."

So I wound up learning everything. I can fix cars, radios, jukeboxes — anything mechanical or electrical. I know plumbing and carpentry, too. You know how some people have an aptitude for learning things here and there? That's me. I used to have my own tow-truck business. Now I work for AHRC (Association for the Help of Retarded Children) in the maintenance department. Not too long ago, I hurt my back and couldn't work for a while. My injury got me to thinking about what would happen if I couldn't do the things my job requires? I'm 47 years old, and I'm not getting any younger.

The idea occurred to me that I could learn how to cut hair and open a barbershop in Otisville. There hasn't been a barbershop in Otisville since the '50s. So I enrolled at the Hudson Valley Barber's Institute in Middletown.

To be brief, I went to school extra hours so I could take the barber's exam. You have to be licensed to cut hair in New York. To get a license, I had to take a practical test. In other words, I had to cut somebody's hair to prove that I knew what I was doing. So I brought along a friend so I could cut his hair.

To make a long story short, the examiner told all the candidates to do a procedure called "scissor over comb." Now this technique works well with straight hair, but not well at all with an afro. The friend whom I brought had a huge afro. In fact, all the other candidates came with guys with straight hair to cut. I said to the proctor, "Sir, how can I do a scissor over comb on this kind of hair?" The proctor just looked puzzled and without saying a word, walked away. I thought, 'OK, you're on your own, Henry.' But I wound up doing it. I think I may have been the first barber to do a scissor over comb on an afro.

Then we had to shave our subjects. If I nicked him, I would lose points. I didn't, and I got my license in the mail.

So here I am in my own shop. I have my 70-year-old, red-and-white striped barber pole right outside the shop. And the ramp for the handicapped I built myself. This toy boat ride in the foyer is the same I used to ride in when I was a kid. I bought it from Playtogs in Middletown.

When you sit down for a cut, you're sitting in an old-fashioned chair that I bought at an antique store in Walden; it's got to be at least 75-years-old. And if you have to wait for me to say "next" — no problem. Have a seat in one of my authentic Yankee Stadium bleacher seats. These are the real McCoy. They've seen the likes of Ruth, DiMaggio and Mantle. Now they're mine. Or if you like, throw a coin in one of the old Wurlitzer jukeboxes I have. I fixed and restored them myself. They play everything. A friend of mine, Mike Florio, got me started buying, collecting and restoring juke boxes.

I got my cash register, circa 1925, from an antique shop in Marlboro, and that coke machine is an oldie, too — still has the bottle opener at the bottom. See that cigarette machine? The last time it held cigarettes, they were 30 cents a pack. Here, try your luck in this old-fashioned, nickel-slot machine.

There are more interesting things to look at and see here, but what do they mean if I can't cut your hair? I do a pretty good job, you know. Your wish is my desire. What will it be? A flat-top? Fade? Caesar? Blow-out? Layer cut? Spiked? Tapered? Blunt cut? I do it all and for a reasonable price, too. Whether you have hair on your head or not, you're welcome here for a haircut or a hot towel shave.

Sheldon Scruggs profiles people in unique professions and odd jobs. He can be reached at sscruggs@th-record.com. In Their Words appears Sundays.

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